Ah, the Role of Motherhood by Jeanice McDade

I think my favorite part of motherhood is seeing my children make good decisions when circumstance isn’t all they wish it would be. Yes, it is nice to hold slumbering babies, nice to cheer a winning team on, nice to behold good grades… but the thing that we strive for really is independence, is it not? Do we not raise our children so that they will stand on their own? We give them a good foundation so that their feet are solid when they have difficult choices to make. Yes, it may seem odd that you read someone writing about conflict and hard times coming upon their children, but isn’t that a major part of parenting??

Training our children in the ways of God, to walk upright on this earth, to endure conflict, is every bit as important as feeding them in the physical sense.

While it is hard to see my children (and yours) face disappointment, discouragement, and heartache … I see that their feet are firmly planted and that their choices are made at the unction of the Holy Spirit. What a blessing!! How profound!!

We watch our children develop in so many ways, they stumble at times (and so do we) but with each fall there is also a lesson learned. Growth, wisdom, seeds planted for future experience, all of this is an intricate part of the parenting process and also a fruit thereof.

I am not full of wisdom but I have found that teaching reaches the hearts of my children far easier than preaching does. One of the most important things that we can teach our children is to pray for themselves, to study His Word (for themselves), and not to act hastily.

I am reminded of a section of verses in Proverbs 31 where it speaks of the mother’s care for her son's well being, referring to him as the "son of her vows". This indicates that the mother prayed often for this child. As we pray for our children, it teaches by example. They learn the importance of prayer. As we pray with our children, they again learn by example.

When our children see us in situations, in circumstance that are less than ideal, they can learn from the way they see us handle things. This, our Godly character, speaks volumes to them, trains them, teaches them, as they witness our living testimony to Christ.

Dear Father, show us Your ways, Lord. I ask for this often because I tend to influx myself into things a bit much at times, yet You have told us that Your ways are not our ways, so I am going to keep asking that You show us Your ways. Lord, help us to learn to train our children to be Godly witnesses on this earth. Father, we thank You for the instruction of Your Word, let our children love Your Word too. Let us be models for our children in ways that bring glory to You. Thank You, Lord, for the gift of motherhood. Please let us cherish it as we should, holding that responsibility and that blessing close to our hearts. We love You, Lord.

Thank You for making us Your children. In Jesus Name, Amen.